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State Council to take full legislative control of Libya

The President of the State Council, Abdulrahman Sewehli, called on Libyans to unite and resist the military’s attempted coup

September 22, 2016 at 4:50 pm

The State Council in Libya has said that it is to take full legislative control of the country after declaring the House of Representatives to be unable to be quorate in its sessions and, therefore, effectively defunct, the Libya Herald has reported.

Speaking at a press conference at the Council office yesterday, Second Deputy President Mohamed Muazeb said that it had been forced to assume legislative power after the head of the House of Representatives, Ageela Saleh, was accused of aiding the military in its alleged bid to seize control of power in Libya. A military takeover has been imminent, claimed Muazeb, ever since Field Marshal Khalifa Hafter’s Libyan National Army took control of the country’s eastern oil terminals and replaced elected mayors by military officials.

Muazeb also attributed Libya’s tepid economy and unstable security situation to the refusal of the nominal legislative body to approve the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA).

The President of the State Council, Abdulrahman Sewehli, called on Libyans to unite and resist the military’s attempted coup. He insisted that only full adherence to the Libyan Political Agreement (LPA) presents the sole viable solution to the Libyan crisis. Sewehli also called on Libya’s Western allies to prevent “some countries” from interfering in his country’s affairs.

The State Council claims that it is acting in accordance with article numbers 16, 17 and 18 of the LPA, despite claims that no article actually authorises the Council to assume the powers of the House of Representatives.